The Orchidaceae is characterized by a remarkably diverse range of life forms and some of the most highly specialized interactions with soil fungi and insect pollinators found in the flowering plants. Many species are rare or threatened with extinction either directly through loss of habitat or over-collection or, indirectly through debilitation or loss of mycorrhizal association or pollinator capacity. Australian temperate terrestrial orchids represent one of the most threatened groups in the Australian flora with many taxa clinging to existence in urban and rural bushland remnants, road verges and unprotected bushland. The aim of this study is to research and develop integrated conservation based on critical aspects of terrestrial orchid biology and ecology, towards the recovery of the rare and endangered Western Australian terrestrial orchid Caladenia huegelii. This study identified key aspects involved in an integrated conservation approach and research focused on conservation genetics, mycorrhizal interactions and in situ and ex situ conservation strategies for this species. Using polymorphic microsatellite molecular markers, high levels of genetic diversity were found within remnant populations of C. huegelii, while weak differentiation was observed among populations over the species geographic range. These results indicate historic genetic exchange between C. huegelii populations, a possible consequence of the sexually deceptive pollination strategy and the capacity for widespread seed dispersal. Symbiotic germination studies revealed compatibility barriers to C. huegelii germination with the orchid possessing a highly specific orchid-mycorrhizal association relative to common sympatric congeners. These results were reflected in a phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, revealing C. huegelii associates with only one endophyte species within the fungal family Sebacinaceae across its geographic range. Large scale in situ seed baiting demonstrated that endophytes compatible with C. huegelii were limited in distribution relative to common and widespread orchid species, a feature for C. huegelii that may be a major contributing factor in limiting the distributional range of the species. Detailed, within site seed baiting methods identified hotspots for mycorrhizal fungus compatible with C. huegelii that were unoccupied by the orchid. These mycorrhizal hotspots where used to investigate the effect of endophyte presence on survival of transplanted mature plants and seedling outplants. The in situ survival of glasshouse propagated seedlings was further optimized by incubating seedlings in growth containers before transfer to soil and outplanting seedlings in their second growing season. The findings of this study will substantially advance the recovery of C. huegelii and provide benchmark knowledge for similar projects with other rare and threatened terrestrial orchid species.

This thesis examines the impact migration has on Filipinas living in the Western Suburbs of Sydney and the strategies employed by them to enable their adaptation to the Australian way of life. The migration experiences of ten Filipinas will be documented, recounting the process of social learning and the changes in themselves. The issue of unexpected learning which occurs as a part of this process and which is rarely documented will also be examined. The study draws on some of the issues raised by Filipinas arising from a series of in-depth interviews. These issues include the lack of knowledge of the Australian culture and the need to change customary ways in order to adapt. Motivation and skills need to adjust to a new culture, and how they are utilised to enable social learning also form part of this study. / Master of Arts (Hons)

[Truncated abstract] In order to assess the sustainability of mixed plantings on saline land, this thesis examined the importance of leaf-litter trapping and microsites on recruitment in a salt affected alley-belted (tree/shrub) agricultural system in Western Australia. Located in the low rainfall region (MAR <330 mm) of the wheatbelt, the 60 ha site consists of concentric rows of Eucalyptus sargentii trees with mounded (6 - 11 cm high) 10 -15 m inter-rows of Atriplex spp. Sustainability of this system and fulfilment of productive and ameliorative functions is dependant on successful recruitment (perennials). Although the present study site was conducted on farmland in a Mediterranean-type climate, low annual rainfall and spatial arrangement of perennial shrubs and trees, allow useful comparisons to be made with naturally occurring banded semi-arid systems and vice-versa. Of key interest were leaf-litter redistribution and trapping by tree and shrub rows and whether litter-cover/microsites facilitated/interfered with seedling recruitment (establishment, growth and survival). Litter from the tree row, redistributed by prevailing winds and rain, accumulated adjacent to saltbush seeding mounds, creating a mosaic of bare and littered areas across the site (total litter 10 t/ha over 22 months). Accumulated litter was hypothesized to differentially influence seasonal soil abiotic parameters (depending on litter-cover density) including; salinity, water availability, infiltration rates, water repellency and temperature. These abiotic conditions were also hypothesized to vary between tree and shrub microsites. Biotically, recruitment at this site was also hypothesized to be determined by interactions (positive and negative) between perennial components and understorey annuals/perennial seedlings. Accumulation of litter and resultant heterogeneity was influenced by shrub morphology, microtopography, wind direction and distance from litter source, with increased litter on the leeward sides of hemispherical Atriplex undulata shrubs and shrubs closest to tree rows. ... The importance of tree/shrub microsites varied seasonally, with no influence in winter due to moderate temperatures and increased water availability. In warmer months saltbush mid-row microsites were most favourable for seedling recruitment due to moderate litter-cover; reducing salinity, temperatures and increasing infiltration; and reduced root-competition/shading by the tree row. Tree microsites also directly inhibited seedling recruitment through increased salinities and water repellency. However, trees also indirectly facilitated recruitment in adjacent areas through provision of leaf-litter. As litter-trapping and recruitment patterns at this site mirror those found in semi-arid natural and artificial systems, the results of this study provide useful insights into creating appropriate mimics of low rainfall natural banded woodland and chenopod shrublands. Saltbush seeding mounds, shrub morphology and litter were key components for litter trapping and recruitment heterogeneity at this site. In this tree/shrub alley planting, where litter quantities directly influence vegetation cover densities, future saline plantings need to consider appropriate tree/shrub row spacings and orientation for efficient resource (seeds, litter and water) capture.

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Images of Oceania and Polynesia have traditionally been exoticised and romanticised by Western representations of a "paradise" populated by primitive natives with grass skirts and ukuleles. However, the movement towards political independence in the 1960s and 1970s has seen the emergence of a corpus of indigenous representations that depict and portray the real situation. These indigenous representations speak of subjugation and moreover testify to the debilitating effects colonialism has on cultural identities. The geographical area covered by this thesis is Western Polynesia, specifically the Pacific Island nations of Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa and is concerned with literary representations. The thesis examines significant developments and trends in the creative writing of indigenous and migrant writers in these three countries of Western Polynesia: Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, seeing these literary representations from within as a writing out of multi-faceted aspects of the shifting identities of Pacific peoples in a post-colonial world. The introduction focuses on the historical colonial/post-colonial context of Western Polynesian writing and the socio-political imperatives for change which have had an impact on these writers and the texts they have produced. It also discusses the literary and anthropological representation of these Islanders from the 'outside', from the perspective of a European hegemonic self, forming the 'orientalist' stereotypes against which the initial texts written by the Pacific's colonised 'others' in the early 1970's reacted so strongly. Chapter One sets out the conceptual framework within which these texts will be discussed and analysed, beginning with indigenous and local concepts which indigenous and migrant Pacific Islanders use to connect and accommodate different 'ways of seeing' this representative body of literature, then moving on to other theorists concerned with literary representation and post-coloniality. Chapters Two to Nine explore the writing of these three countries, beginning with the fiction of Albert Wendt, one of the major writers from Western Polynesia who has an established regional and international literary reputation, and then progressing to focus on other selected representative writers of the three countries, including those in the early stages of attempting publication. The thesis concludes by discussing the texts from all three countries and tying them together in the various thematic strands of cultural clash, the widening of borders, the quest for self-definition and national identity in the contemporary Pacific, reiterating major points and examining possible future directions in Western Polynesian writing. The study takes an interdisciplinary approach to the critical analysis of Western Polynesian literature, maintaining the importance of seeing them as important forms of cultural communication in post-colonial contexts, as literary representations from the inside, writing out of a cultural consciousness which values the various 'pasts' of Polynesia as definitive 'maps' which provide the grids and bridges which Pacific Islanders in this part of Oceania can utilise to mediate their experiences and articulate their identities, to fit the widening boundaries of the Pacific into a post-colonial global context.

The adult western spotted cucumber beetle (WSCB), Diabrotica undecimpunctata undecimpunctata Mannerheim is considered a major pest of snap beans grown for processing in Western Oregon. Control consists of 1 or 2 insecticide sprays prior to harvest. A commercial semiochemical-based insecticide bait, Adios TIC��, 1.3% carbaryl + 5% buffalo gourd root powder + 0.7% TIC mixture (1,2,4-trimethoxybenzene, indole, and trans-cinnamaldehyde, 1:1:1), was evaluated for the control of WSCB in commercial snap beans. Adios TIC�� did not result in improved WSCB control as reflected by number of beetles and pod damage. Twenty one plant volatile compounds were evaluated for their attractivity to WSCB in snap bean and squash fields by comparing the number of beetles caught on sticky traps in 1 to 3 day periods. The chemicals beta-ionone, benzyl alcohol, and indole consistently attracted significantly more beetles than unbaited traps. An equal part of these chemicals caught more WSCB than those baited with any of the two component mixture blends or even individual components. Captures of WSCB increased significantly as doses of the 1Bb mixture in trap increased. Baited traps placed inside and at the edge of alfalfa fields caught similar numbers of WSCB. More WSCB were caught on traps inside than outside fields. Traps baited with the 1Bb mixture placed at canopy level or at 10-15 cm above canopy caught equal numbers of WSCB. Traps below plant canopy caught fewer WSCB. Most WSCB were caught from 10:00 to 13:00 hrs and from 16:00 to 18:00 hrs. Fresh preparations of IBb were the most attractive to the beetle. The majority of WSCB attracted by the IBb mixture were males (���80%). Its individual components, indole and benzyl alcohol attracted mostly females (���73% and 70% respectively), beta-ionone attracted mostly males (���80%). / Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1984. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-48). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1984. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-115). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 1981. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-98). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1980. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.